2nd Saturday Community Concert

Kick Off Soulard Boys, Johnny Connolly, Kevin Buckley, Cary Novotny and, Dan Lowery

Saturday, October 11, 2025

7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

The “Soulard Boys” are a high-energy traditional Irish band that takes its name from the thriving music and art scene in the Soulard neighborhood of Saint Louis, Missouri, where native Kevin Buckley, masterful fiddle player as well as guitar player/vocalist, still resides. Flute player/guitarist/vocalist Dan Lowery, originally from Texas, also calls Soulard home these days. Portland, Oregon based guitarist/vocalist Cary Novotny and Dublin, Ireland native Johnny Connolly, who have performed together for 25 years, are frequent visitors to Soulard and performers at the world-famous John D. McGurk’s Irish Pub, a focal point of the Midwest traditional Irish music scene which spawned the collaboration with Kevin and Dan as the Soulard Boys.

Johnny Connolly mastered the button accordion at an early age and joined the Irish traditional group Anam as a teenager. His first solo recording with Green Linnet Records, released in 2001, was entitled "Bridgetown," named after his adopted hometown, Portland, Oregon, and established Connolly as one of the finest traditional Irish accordion players in the world. Over the last three decades, Johnny has toured extensively nationally and internationally, performing with many high-profile acts in the Irish music world, including Kevin Burke, Bridgetown, The Chieftains, Casey Neill, Nuala Kennedy, and the “Celtic Legends” touring music and dance show. Most recently, Johnny was a touring member of the internationally acclaimed and legendary Irish band Solas.

Cary Novotny was born in South Dakota and later moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he began studying classical guitar and absorbing the music of the region, namely country, folk, and bluegrass music. After moving to the Northwest, Novotny earned a Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Portland and then began a career as a professional guitarist, singer, and songwriter in the folk and popular music scene in the Portland and Seattle areas. In 1995, Novotny cofounded “Cul an Ti,” which became a popular Irish pub favorite in the Northwest with its unique blend of traditional music and popular songs. Cary maintains a busy schedule as a guitarist in the world of Celtic music and has recorded and performed with many other notable Irish musicians, including Winifred Horan, The Bridies, Johnny Connolly, Kevin Burke, Hanz Araki, Laurence Nugent, and the touring Irish dance show “Celtic Legends.” He also continues to write songs in the country, Americana, and popular music genres.

St. Louis native Kevin Buckley was raised playing Irish Traditional fiddle music alongside his father, Jack, on the uilleann pipes. Buckley toured and competed nationally and internationally with St. Louis Irish Arts CCE, earning a few titles along the way. Kevin is a member of the Irish Bluegrass super group “Jig Jam,” with whom he has recorded and performed at all of the major bluegrass festivals in North America, as well as the Grand Ole Opry. In addition to a years-long residency at John D. McCurk’s (where he first met JigJam), Buckley has branched out into songwriting/composing (Grace Basement), studio engineering, music instruction, and session work in a variety of styles on all things strings.

He made his debut fiddle/folk record in 2022 entitled “Big Spring.” Texas native Dan Lowery is steeped in the tradition of Texas-based country music and is equally adept as a soulful acoustic guitar accompanist as well as a highly skilled flute player in the world of traditional Irish music. Dan was a fixture in the New York area traditional Irish music scene in the 2000s and has now become one of the most respected players in the thriving Midwest Irish music scene. Dan has performed with many great names over the last several decades, including Kevin Buckley, Isaac Alderson, Caitlin Warbelow, Colin Farrell, and Eimear Arkins. In addition to Irish music, Dan frequently performs older country and Americana/folk music with his brother, Nate Lowery.

Tickets

$30 — General Admission Online

$35 — General Admission Door 

Select the following ticket type after it has been added to your cart:

$20 — 15 & Younger Online

$25 — 15 & Younger Door

Online ticket prices rise to the door price at 2 pm, Friday, October 10.

Online ticket sales end at 2 pm on Saturday, October 11.

All ages. Tickets are non-refundable.

Winona Grange is not accessible by wheelchair.

Free on-site and street parking is available near Winona Grange.